Chapter 194. The Battlefield of the Gods (3)
“A divine throne?”
Three months ago.
After recovering the ninth Sacred Relic, 'Chop-Chop,' from the hellfire of Kalisto, I was holed up in the training ground of my mansion in the Imperial Capital.
‘That's right, master. This is a war for the divine throne.’
“Why are you telling this now?”
‘Well, since you've finally obtained the qualifications of a challenger. We've also been freed from our restrictions, haven't we?’
Kkumteuli made a gesture like shrugging its shoulders with two tentacles.
As if it were trying to pour out everything it had wanted to say until now, it began to spin a tale about the Sacred Relics, the Outer Gods, and the beings beyond them.
‘Although we are called Outer Gods, honestly, we're not quite at the level of gods. By the standards of the Luark Church that you're familiar with… yes, we're closer to angels. Archangels, perhaps?’
Angels.
Certainly, a sugar-addicted Outer God was a bit strange.
Co to think of it, he had been hinting at it subtly since our first conversation.
He had said that although he had destroyed thousands of worlds as an Outer God, at so point he had started to have doubts about his actions.
At the sa ti, while feeling so-called 'post-nut clarity,' he had continued to destroy worlds.
It's a 모습 that doesn't quite fit with the gods or demons people usually talk about.
Despite possessing such great power, acting contrary to his thoughts is like a machine or tool with a purpose, lacking the concept of freedom.
‘An apt analogy. You can think of us as machines that William and the dwarves are tinkering with.’
“That ans there is a master who gives you a purpose. Is that the God of War?”
‘That's right.’
“And is it also the God of War who is delivering this 'judgnt' to the Lur Legion, the Eastern Empire, and ?”
‘As I said before, war is a more appropriate expression than judgnt. We are fighting for the divine throne.’
“Then are you guys who are on my side committing treason against your master?”
‘No. This is a rule.’
“A rule?”
‘Because the current God of War also obtained the divine throne he sits on in that way.’
I stroked my chin thoughtfully as I listened to Kkumteuli.
If that's the case, it ans that the God of War was also a human like , the Eastern Empire, or the emperor of the Lur Legion.
“Does such a thing… I an, does the God of War change often?”
‘Of course not. It's difficult to collect not just one or two, but more than eight Sacred Relics in the first place.’
“I suppose so.”
Although I nodded my head at the ti, I still held a question mark in my mind.
From the perspective of having searched through almost all historical materials and tales about Sacred Relic wielders in history, I couldn't imagine who the current God of War originally was.
However, apart from that, the fact I learned was of great help to .
‘I can win.’
Not a vague hope.
But from the fact that soone has already walked this path.
If the current God of War fought his predecessor and took the divine throne, it ant that I too could fight and win.
“...Hoo.”
Back to the present.
Above the cosmic-sized room and the map containing the world.
I focus my consciousness and gaze at the map.
The past three months.
With the active help of Kkumteuli and the other Sacred Relics, who had been freed from their restrictions, I reduced my sleep every day and devoted myself to training.
Here, training ans one thing.
Kkumteuli and the other Sacred Relics had compared the battle to retake the divine throne of the God of War to a kind of 'divine chess.'
Looking at the map containing the entire world, taking in everything that happens on the battlefield in my mind, and commanding.
The third trait of the Warrior was a power for this purpose.
[[The Warrior's Command]
[You can command all subordinate troops on the battlefield on a conscious level.]
[Even without flags, horns, drums, or other command ans, the command targets will accept and follow general orders without feeling any dissonance.]
[Detailed actions cannot be determined.]
[Each entity may break control depending on its state, such as injury or morale decline.]
It's like commanding in Warlord Conquest.
The only difference is that instead of a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, I directly connect to the consciousness, receive sensations, and issue commands.
I expand the range of my consciousness wider and wider.
The experience of continuously operating one or two clones without rest was of great help.
[[The Warrior's Command] is deployed.]
I can see it.
The operational map on the table.
On the map, drawn to a 1:1 scale of the world, the city, the walls, and the Imperial army standing on them are drawn as small as millet seeds.
The flow of my consciousness goes beyond the map, perhaps gazing at the reality inside the map.
It lightly passes over ceilings, walls, and other physical obstacles, and directly connects to the vision of knights, mages, vampires and priests, dwarves and elves, commanders and soldiers.
A sensation as if tens of thousands of streams of consciousness are connected to the single stem of ',' like roots connected to a stem.
“……”
I feel it instinctively.
That in this state, I can command their subconscious.
That command will be naturally delivered through the commanders in charge of the respective units and higher units, and unless their morale is shattered or they are seriously injured, everyone will move according to my will.
‘Co to think of it, I never figured out what [The Warrior's Regret] does.’
A sense of regret remains.
But it's too late.
I did my best.
Kkumteuli and the other Sacred Relics only replied that they didn't know either.
‘Regret? Regret. Was there such an ability? I've never heard of it. Maybe….’
“?”
‘Just maybe, it might be related to your origin….’
For now, let's be satisfied with the fact that I can command that huge army as if they were my own limbs.
Right now, even if I were to command them to charge directly at the incarnate body of the flesh-monster that has descended upon this land, they would carry it out as is.
But for now, I will not issue any command.
Instead.
[[The Warrior's Command] is deployed.]
I focus my mind more.
Below the operational map that contains the vast world.
I pierce through the top of the table and explore the space beneath it.
A box with its lid open caught the senses of my consciousness.
And even the thirteen statues stuck in it.
The expression of the God of War, who had been feigning composure, crumpled once again.
He moved.
With his huge body, he bent down and brought his hand under the table.
But I am faster.
Before he could close the box, the statues, responding to my consciousness, floated up into the air and quickly flew onto the table.
The God of War, who failed to close the box in ti, instead took out the remaining statues and placed them on the table.
Including the lump-of-at Sacred Relic that was already floating above the map, five statues were neatly lined up in front of the God of War.
He clicked his tongue as if he had been thwarted.
Understandably so.
- Phew. I thought I was going to die of frustration, master.
- Tick-tock!
- Kiiing?
- Is this the master? He's really small up close.
- Don't talk nonsense. You might end up in a pit of fire like .
- Om nom nom
- Woof woof!
- Srr-rr-rr?
- Ding-dong!
Because in front of , more than twice his number, nine statues are floating along with .
That's right.
The target of [The Warrior's Command]'s command includes not only humans but also gods.
“Let's have the humans fight among themselves, and the Outer Gods fight among themselves.”
The God of War waved his hand.
Then, a huge energy flowed out from each of his finger joints and gathered together.
That condensed energy floats up with the five statues he has.
It flies across the sky of the continent, depicted on the vast battlefield map.
“Hey guys.”
- Master, leave it to us.
The nine Sacred Relics slowly rise.
A cluster of tentacles supporting a smooth regular octahedron.
A woman holding two spears, with a large jewel embedded in her abdon.
A starfish with dozens of arms.
An eyeball with hundreds of white pupils gleaming.
A beetle with twelve tentacles writhing.
A gray pendulum swinging slowly in the air.
A watchdog covered in tentacles.
A storm of ice and snow.
A spinning wheel scattering skeins of thread in all directions like disheveled hair.
Kkumteuli, Tick-Tocky, Starfish, Eyeball, Crusty, Ding-Dong, Mongmongi, Chop-Chop, Click-Clacky.
The nine Outer Gods cross the sky of the continent.
In the unimaginably high sky of Wolfskrig, the five Outer Gods, the power of the throne, and the nine Outer Gods collided.
A snowstorm rages, tentacles writhe gracefully, mana swirls, and lightning and lava bloom.
“Now the fight is fair.”
Having beco accustod to the feeling of levitation, I slowly glided down to the position of Wolfskrig on the map.
I adjust the countless roots of consciousness to be ready to issue tily commands to any unit at any ti, just like when playing Warlord Conquest.
“Then shall we fight, army against army?”
He laughed.
I raised my head while maintaining the connection of consciousness.
A pair of giant eyes are shining with malice.
An inexplicable sense of foreboding creeps over .
***
“...This is ominous.”
Hebrun muttered.
She tilted her head and looked up at the sky.
“……?”
I followed suit.
The sky was full of dark clouds, but there were no other signs.
“Don't you feel it, Your Majesty?”
“Feel what?”
“Up there in the sky… sothing is clashing.”
I looked at Hebrun.
Her blood-red eyes, befitting her nickna of Princess of Blood, were trembling.
It wasn't a lie.
If that's the case, it ans that sothing is really happening in the sky.
“I feel it too, my daughter.”
The Vampire Duke, who had approached at so point, also said.
It's certain.
Sothing is happening.
It must be a sensation that only those who have reached a level of 10 or higher, the stage where they can observe the world, can feel.
Because the Princess of Blood had reached level 10 in the past three months.
On the other hand, I, who have been focused solely on the power of the Warrior, am still at level 9 in terms of spell level.
“...Your Majesty, it seems the gods are fighting.”
Nevertheless, up there in the sky.
I think I know what kind of battle is taking place.
The hazy, shadow-like images in my head are telling about a battle taking place in so place beyond my perception, outside of human awareness.
They must be in the battlefield of the gods by now.
That place is said to be where the soul goes.
It ans that although I cannot see the scene with my physical body standing on this land, my soul or mind is already fighting him.
I took a short breath and patted the Duke's shoulder.
“Don't worry.”
“...Your Majesty?”
“More than half of the gods fighting in the sky are on my side.”
Of course, even so, it won't be an easy fight.
Because I'm fighting for the position of a god against soone who has already beco one.
But if it were , I would be desperately looking for a way.
All I have to do is do my best in my fight here.
Kwaaaaaang-!
Just then, the city gate was breached with a loud roar.
The first defense line has fallen.
It was expected.
The opponent is a being called the God of War.
Even with the triple walls built with the help of the dwarves, I thought I could never win by operating them in a conventional way.
Therefore.
Kwa-gwang! Kwa-rururu…!
“Y-Your Majesty. Th-the entire wall was blown away.”
I made it into a trap itself.
I had the defenders retreat to the second defense line in advance, and the mont the enemy completely occupied it, I detonated all the insensitive explosives buried under the wall.
“I found it to be effective after blowing up a city. It's the defensive facility version of the scorched-earth tactic, so to speak.”
“Y-you blew that up, Your Majesty?”
“Wouldn't it be troubleso if the defensive facilities fell into the enemy's hands? It's killing two birds with one stone, as we can wipe out the occupying enemy while preventing that.”
It's just one layer of a wall.
Compared to the city itself, it's just a consumable.
The precisely targeted explosion blows away the entire first wall, creating a huge ring of fire surrounding the city.
If the already heavily damaged enemy still wants to continue their offensive, they will have to pass through the hill of debris where unexploded residual explosives are buried and the wall of fire burning on top of it.
Even if they break through that, the next death trap awaits them.
Tatadadang! Tatadang!
Kwagwang!
Before long, the sound of gunfire and cannon fire began to be heard from all over the fortified first urban area.
It is the sound of snipers lying in ambush in the buildings, dwarven-made organ guns installed in every major alley, and the mortar unit deployed in the square greeting the enemy troops who have advanced through the flas.
“Let's go.”
I got up.
It's about ti for us to step up as well.
The role of the Vampire Archduchy is to hide like a dead rat in the southern forest, and then strike the enemy's rear when they have penetrated the defense line to so extent.
Now, when the enemy is engaged with the second defense line, is the most effective timing for a surprise attack.
If we start by pouring in a large amount of [Infernal teor], even the Eastern Empire will….
Pukak!
A searing sensation.
I look down at my foot.
Sothing sharp had pierced through the sole of my foot, torn through the top of my foot, and co up.
“...Huh?”
The blade that shot out from the ground had a familiar shape.
A thick sword blade that added weight.
A squared-off tip.
“Lur… Keok!”
Kwaduk!
My suspicion turned into certainty.
As I saw the sharp spearhead that shot out from the ground behind , tore through my spine and internal organs, pierced my solar plexus, and erged diagonally.
The mont a sharp pain as if being struck by lightning tore through my organs, the hazy cloud in my mind cleared for a mont, and the thoughts of '' on the God of War's strategy table outside this world flowed into my head.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
This is ominous.
No.
Sothing is wrong.
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